The present invention relates to touch fastener systems and, more particularly to a touch fastener component for flush-mounting a first planar surface to a second planar surface and comprising, a piece of planar, resiliently flexible material having one portion of touch fastener material attached to a surface thereof adjacent a center portion thereof and means for holding the material in a foreshortened bi-stable state disposed over a hole in one of the surfaces and for allowing the material to move between a first stable position arched over the hole and a second stable position depressed into the hole with the one portion of touch fastener material slightly below the one of the surfaces whereby it can grip the mating portion of touch fastener material disposed on the other of the surfaces to maintain the first and second planar surfaces flush with one another.
The present invention has to do with touch fastener systems. A touch fastener, as the term is used herein, comprises a first planar backing material having a surface carrying hooks, mushrooms, balls on stems, pigtails, or the like, capable of engaging loops, hooks, mushrooms, balls on stems, pigtails, or the like, carried by a second planar backing material to releasably fasten components together. By way of example only, hook and loop type touch fastener material such as that sold by the assignee of this application under the trademark VELCRO are shown and described in the drawings and descriptions contained hereinafter.
Touch fastener materials have enjoyed great popularity and new uses therefor are constantly being realized. In use, one portion is attached to one surface to be joined and the other portion is attached to another surface to be joined. To join the two surfaces, the two touch fastener portions are merely pressed together. To separate the two surfaces, the two touch fastener portions are pulled apart. The joining force is quite substantial, particularly in the "shear" direction while even major misalignment is accommodated.
FIG. 1 illustrates one common use for touch fastener materials, i.e. attaching a picture 10, or the like, to a surface such as a wall 12. As shown in the side view of FIG. 2, the prior art approach results in a gap 14 between the back surface of the picture 10 and the wall 12 caused by the thickness of the adhesive backing and active portions of the touch fastener materials generally indicated as 16. In many instances, the small gap 14 is quite acceptable. In others, both the gap and the ability of viewing the touch fastener materials 16 therethrough are aesthetically unpleasing. One principal example is the use of touch fastener materials to attach a speaker grill to the speaker enclosure. Where the design does not include a surrounding outer framework containing the grill therein so as to hide any gap, absolute flush mounting is required of the mounting system employed.
Wherefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide a mounting system for use with touch fastener materials which will provide for mounting of two surfaces flush together.